As she walked through the doors of Revere High School on the students’ first day of school, the new school employee had butterflies in her stomach. She was nervous about the challenges ahead of her but excited about coming back to a school environment. The students and staff welcomed her to the district and were very helpful. She looked forward to getting to know the Revere community.

This was the experience of Dr. Jennifer DeFago as she began her position at Revere this year as the school psychologist. She worked elsewhere as a psychologist for five years. Her job entails assessing students on their academic ability and/or social skills. She interprets the results of tests, sets up meetings with the students, families and teachers and shares the results with them. DeFago spoke of her reasons for applying for this job.

“[The] Revere School District has a really strong reputation for their academics and student outcomes. It’s just an excellent school district and so that was something I wanted to be a part of if I could,” DeFago said.

At Miami University of Ohio, DeFago started as an English major. During her junior year she added a major in psychology. She got her Masters of Education and Ph. D. at Kent State University. DeFago voiced her reasons for becoming a psychologist.

“I [enjoy] school psychology because I like being in a school environment and with psychology there are a lot of things you can do with it, all of which I [enjoy]. I do a lot of assessment [such as] IQ testing and academic testing and then I also like the counseling and intervention part of it, too. So there are a ton of different things that you can do with psychology and that is why I [enjoy] it,” DeFago said.

Dr. Christine Kovach, Director of Student Services, helped choose the person to fill the position of school psychologist. When asked about the features of DeFago that stood out, Kovach mentioned her personality and experience in the field.

“Her demeanor, she was child-centered and that was very obvious. She also liked the clinical aspect of psychology, so not just testing, but she really wanted to make a difference and help the kids who are having difficulty. She has some very nice experiences… she does a really nice job,” Kovach said.

Revere High School principal Phil King mentioned how DeFago is adjusting to the district and the positive feedback from parents and students.

“She is fitting in well and I appreciate her understanding and knowledge of the way she treats people at our meetings. Sometimes when students need assistance, it could be a very tricky situation. She does a fabulous job and everything I [have] witnessed and observed, I am very pleased with,” King said.

DeFago is located in room 240A. She is at the high school Monday through Wednesday.